Preparing a tender is a complex process that can often take up to 9 months. At Supply Value, we are convinced that it can be done faster: by approaching three parts of this process differently, it is possible to reduce this process to 10 days. In this blog you will read which three parts these are, how this can be done differently and what the best practices are.
Dedicated team
The first point concerns the team you work with. Make sure you have a dedicated team that is empowered to make decisions. By dedicated, we mean really dedicated: during those 10 days, nothing else should be on the agenda.
Keep in mind that this team will be in one room with each other for 10 days and working together very intensively. Therefore, it is important to keep a good balance between effort and relaxation. That way you keep the team motivated, prevent exhaustion and keep the atmosphere good.
Decision-making
The main reason that preparing a tender often takes a long time is that very many decisions must be made, all of which must be reviewed and agreed upon by different people in the organization. As a result, a document often has to go through the entire organization, repeatedly ending up at the bottom of the pile. Therefore, the second way to save time is to approach this differently. Instead of bringing the document to the decision-makers, we bring the decision-makers to the document. Inform the relevant decision-makers in a timely manner of the decision to be made, deliver the document they need in time to do so, and then schedule a time for them to meet for agreement. That way you create priority for the decision and avoid long waits for agreement.
The Value Sprint Method©
The third way you can save time is by using the Value Sprint method. This method was developed by Supply Value and consists of an iterative process which enables two things. First, the Value Sprint method allows you to empathize with the thoughts and expectations of your customers and stakeholders. In addition, this method allows you to test and evaluate in a short-cycle manner whether the decisions you make and the results you deliver match those expectations. In this way, you avoid making a decision and starting to work it out, only to find later that no one is waiting for your idea.
The traditional way of tendering, going around the table to discuss wishes and requirements, does not work in this situation. Instead, it is good to use different interactive working methods. This ensures that the right information and knowledge is brought to the surface, and in the process, the right discussions are held. Moreover, this way it is also easier to keep the energy level high.
Summary
To summarize, you can do the following three things completely differently from a normal procurement to complete a process that normally takes months in 10 days:
- Assemble a dedicated, multidisciplinary team and provide adequate guidance;
- Take control of decision-making by scheduling decision moments with the decision-makers;
- Make use of the Value Sprint method and use interactive working methods.
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